Wine tasting, like most hobbies, takes practice and commitment to master. The proficiency you develop for wine tasting will result from how well you have trained your palate to recognize and appreciate subtle tones and notes of flavors, wine varieties, and tasting techniques. Knowing that there are no shortcuts to success, we’ve created a list of five things to know about wine tasting to get you one step closer to becoming the wine expert you wish to be.
1. Understand Smells with wine reviews
Wine tasters know one fact: over 80% of taste comes from our sense of smell. Learning how to smell wine correctly and speak the correct terminology when wine tasting is critical to the wine tasting process. Be sure to brush up on some basic wine-smelling techniques and know some of the fundamentals to look out for so that you can participate—for example, practice swirling wine in your glass. Practice making small circles without spilling. For other tips on smelling wine correctly, look up wine reviews and try tasting on your own. See if your experiences match the reviews you read and reach out California Wineries to learn more about it.
2. People Taste to Discover More
Other than the fact that wine tasting is cool, people get into wine tasting to discover more about wine. Those who appreciate homegrown crops are one crowd that might be interested. Many people get into wine tasting to understand wine harvesting. These individuals may hope to have wineries of their own or are just fascinated by the process. In short, this style of wine tasting is for informative purposes.
3. People Taste to Socialize
Others are less invested in wine production and would rather simply enjoy wines, but with some knowledge to support their choices. When you are with peers, describing wine is part of the social event. Using the lingo of wine-speak is what brings peers together. People like to see how others’ experiences of tasting wine relate to their own. It’s a way to bond with others.
While socializing is one of the fun things about wine tasting, you need to ensure that you do not overdo it. Aside from that, there are also other important tips when it comes to wine tasting etiquette that may help make your experience better. Learn more about these in our article, Essential Etiquette for Walkaround Wine Tastings.
6. Detect Over-ripe Wine
Wine tasters like to impress one another by noting when the wine is not at its best. To detect when the wine is overripe, look out for a scent and flavor of jam. If you are smelling notes of raisin or prune or taste a lack of freshness, you’re right on the money.
5. Detect Underripe Wine
Another rule of thumb is to note cherry and red berry smells. These fruits are often mistaken for other fruits present in the wine, as they did not become fully ripe. You’ll be able to tell the difference between a cherry flavor and a cherry-like flavor by noting how acidic the wine tastes. If it’s overly acidic, there is a good chance you’re tasting a fruit that never reached its full potential.
Learning the details of wine tasting will take time. Use these tips as a cheat sheet as you work towards becoming the wine taster you’ve always wanted to be!